Agenda - Council - 03/10/2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• The Council will continue to support State rules for subsurface sewage treatment systems and other private wastewater systems. • The Council will allow a community to connect a failing subsurface sewage treatment system or other private wastewater treatment system to the regional wastewater system at the community's expense. Water Conservation and Reuse Sustainable and plentiful high quality water resources provides a firm foundation for the region's future economic growth and prosperity, livability and high quality of life as long as we are good stewards and use our resources wisely. A growing economy that creates and provides jobs for the citizens of the region, a good transportation system that fairly and equitably links citizens with job opportunities and affordable housing, sustainable natural and water resources that provide for recreational opportunities and that support a high quality of life are all part of the region that the Council strives to foster and maintain. The overall theme of this Policy Plan is to move toward more sustainable water systems through integration of our roles in wastewater, water supply, and surface water planning, management and operation. On a Council level, integration means leading by example and working across Council divisions to promote water sustainability. In MCES, integration means that the Council will continue to provide high quality, affordable wastewater collection and treatment services in support of new development and redevelopment in a manner that protects our valued water resources for the long-term. For example, the Council will look toward ways to increase our water supply from groundwater resources through the reuse of wastewater in order to provide for recharge to our groundwater system, through our inflow and infiltration mitigation program which preserves clear water and avoids pollution of our surface water, by investigating the potential for water conservation or increasing use of surface water resources to offset demands being placed on the groundwater system, by promoting low impact development practices as a means for stormwater runoff management that has the added benefit of increasing recharge to our groundwater. The source of nearly all water in the metro area's aquifers is from infiltrated precipitation. The amount of direct precipitation that is able to infiltrate from the land surface area and move below the root zone is the maximum amount of water available to recharge the underlying aquifers. This amount is dependent upon the rate and duration of precipitation, the soil type and land cover, land use, topography, and evapotranspiration (water evaporated from soil surfaces and transpired by plants into the atmosphere). The portion of infiltration that moves from the unsaturated sediment below the root zone into the underlying aquifers (saturated zone) is considered aquifer recharge. Infiltration is similar, but considered different, than groundwater recharge. The most important distinction between infiltration and groundwater recharge is the time lag between infiltration of water past the root zone and recharge at the water table. 21